Which is What He Said
by snowholly
Summary: GaaraxSakura! I couldn't find any, so I wrote one myself! Fluff and confessions.


GaaraSakura! My first Naruto fic. I'm sure this isn't exactly accurate, but c'mon-it's fluff and nonsense! There's none (or very little) fics with Gaara as a major character and none that I could find of him and Sakura! Well, these two are the best couple. folds arms

I don't own Sakura, Gaara, or any of the characters from Naruto!

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That battle was finally over. There would be no more. That monster which had persuaded him, warped his mind, so many times, had vanished. He searched, but it was gone. Forever. Could that be true? The silence of free will and thought was a paradise to his thirsting mind that he'd never known before. So, this was what regular people experienced everyday; they hadn't known any different and he'd never known that luxury.

Body battered, sweating, and mind feeding on a new personality that was rising from the part of him that had always been suppressed, Gaara groaned. Every fiber hurt like fire when he moved even an inch. He'd used too much charka, but how much exactly? His gourd of sand lie shattered below him in thousands of pieces-many microscopic. Blood streamed from his temples, mixed with a few salty tears.

This must be it: the end. He had not a droplet of charka left to save his life and the energy was fading fast.

His eyes flickered. Images raced around the new space in his mind. People-some enemies he couldn't remember having a reason to hate now-some people who'd called themselves his friends. Friends. It was a miracle that he'd even had people who wanted to be in the same village he'd been in.

Maple leaves whooshed about his head, blowing cool breezes over his parched body. His clothes were nothing but bloody shreds. At least he'd won. There would be no more beckoning, no more forced actions against his will. That demon was dead.

Perhaps he'd be able to gain some energy in a few hours and struggle to the nearest village. But those were delusions. The nearest village was the Hidden Leaf and it was a few miles off. The unbelievable amount of charka he had soaked wouldn't be recovered for at least a week. How was he even awake and now dead from that?

It didn't matter. He'd won something through his own will for once in his life. He was strong and it gave him peace. Slowly, Gaara closed his eyes one last time.

"I sense chakra." A low voice said somewhere close by.

"Sasuke, are you sure? I don't sense anything." A female responded. She sounded unsure, as usual. Gaara knew who those were. They were Kakashi's Team 7: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. The boys he didn't care for, but Sakura… he understood why, every time he had looked at her, he had felt something warm and strange in his heart. That demon had kept it from him but he saw it clearly now. To bad the end had come before he could tell her. Everything he'd wanted to do he'd never get the chance to fulfill. Somehow, he only felt a little bit of regret.

"Bah! That Sasuke: he's just showing off again! I sense it just like he does-it's nothing special, Sakura."

"Better let me go check it out. That's not normal charka." The last one said, with maturity. That kid Naruto made some immature wines, with someone whacking him, and another wine accompanied by Sakura moaning, then everything fell silent.

Gaara listened, the only thing he was capable of doing in his condition, but heard nothing. It hurt to much to use charka to sense other forms nearby, so he had no idea if anyone was approaching.

"Well, what is this?" Kakashi gasped above him. "Gaara?"

"Mmm… Kakashi." Gaara peaked through slit eyes up at him. There was nothing to say; words were futile. That side of him would never change.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura-come now!" Kakashi's eyebrows were far above the area on his forehead than they should have been. He kept touching his hair or fingering his Come Come Paradise book while squatting over the bored-looking Gaara.

"Waaa! Isn't that Gaara-the freak from the Sand Village?" Naruto sprung up like a scared mouse, "Why's he so bloody? Ah! He got in a fight!"

"Fool." Sasuke folded his arms, rolling his eyes, then standing over Gaara. They had fought before so he knew the power this boy possessed. His eyes rose. Who could have done this?

"Kakashi-sensei! What will you do with him?" Naruto piped again, now doing some sort of flipped out dance behind Kakashi.

"Uh, well, the obvious… obvious." Kakashi reached out to feel Gaara's forehead. "I'll take him back to Hidden Leaf and have him treated. Sakura? Can you come with me?"

"Oh, huh?" Silent till now, Sakura rushed over. She sucked in her breath and cupped a hand over her mouth, while staring down at Gaara trying not to puke or cry-she couldn't decide. "What do you want me to do?" The peaceful look on Gaara's face made her feel faint. Though people had always feared him, her fear was something different than the normal. How sorry Sakura felt for this boy at that moment.

"When I take Gaara back to Hidden Leaf, I want you to stay with him. I heard you know how to nurse people pretty well and I think someone around his age would be better than an adult. Is that alright with you?"

Sakura nodded, mute. Kakashi still held a different kind of relationship with her. He scolded the boys, but admired her.

"Naruto, Sasuke, wait here till I return. I won't be long." He carefully fondled Gaara in his arms, had Sakura touch his hand, and then the three disappeared. Naruta looked at Sasuke and Sasuke stared back. Then Naruto folded his arms, stuck his tongue out, and started to walk off.

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The hospital room was spacious with a large window overlooking Hidden Leaf Village. Little blue flowers spotted the white walls and portraits of famous ninjas lined the sides. Light beamed upon the two inhabitants of the room. It was a lovely room.

Gaara lie sleeping in the bed, head bandaged, changed, and clean, with Sakura leaning over a random magazine. Every minute, she glanced at Gaara's face. When did he change, she pondered. When had he become older or more mature?

A while ago, she couldn't tell when, her heart had shifted. Being so apparent that Sasuke couldn't love anyone like she hoped, she decided to find someone else. Of course, that someone, she had planned, wasn't going to be a half-crazed, demon-possessed murderer running from his pursuers and killing anyone in his path. Gaara was a treacherous, violent boy because of that demon she knew lived inside of him and because of his childhood abuse.

Then, why? Sakura caressed her fingers along the silken sheets up the side till she stopped by his shoulder. Why did she love him?

"I love you and it's a curse." She whispered and her hand found his chest, though underneath the sheets. It didn't waver. It rose, then fell, then rose slowly, deep and steady. He was steady. He was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful. Not even Sasuke compared to him. Gaara's eyes, black-lined, were like two glass beads when they opened: you could see the world through them, but warped. She looked at his milky skin and envisioned cream, whipped topping, and butter-soft to the touch. Those fingers that she wanted to stroke were long and built strong, unbreakable. But he looked like a crying puppy lying there.

"Gaara. Why do you do what you do?" She clutched the sheet over his chest. Tears pooled around her sparkling eyes. "When you could be so much better! I love you, but you don't know it. I'm just a girl, but I'm stronger than the last time you saw me. I want to win you, but how?" She cried.

No more was she a stupid, immature girl who depended on the skill of others to protect her. That was the old Sakura. Since meeting Gaara, since seeing his power, her heart hardened and she learned to protect herself. The skills she'd learned she'd done on her own without Sasuke or Naruto or Kakashi's instruction. She'd poured over books for hours by herself, practiced the moves with free time, and exercised more. But no one noticed except Kakashi. Naruto was as dumb as ever, Sasuke as hard as before… And Gaara had left her life with destruction as his only goal. She listened for news of him and became appalled every time she heard of it. Death. Another murder. Some strange jutsu he'd performed. Evil. Darkness. Sadness. Anger and hate.

"Oh, Gaara… Oh, Gaara! How could you be so cold? How-how-"

"Please stop, Sakura."

"Huh?" Sakura snapped up. "You're awake?"

"Yes." Gaara stated. He left out that he had never been sleeping in the first place or that he'd felt her hand, that it was warm, or listened to her crying. He wasn't accustomed to interpreting peoples' emotions of this kind. Love, pity, care-what were those? Hate, fear, anger, aggression: those were easy. But this? What to say to this?

"Gaara, I-I." He watched her cheeks redden, and how her neck bended when she turned away, embarrassed. So she did love him.

He laid his hand over hers and she turned back.

"My hand." She said somewhat uneven.

"Want me to let it go?" That sounded so stupid, but Gaara couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Oh, um…" His hand was warm and soft. "Not if you don't want to." Yes was to bold, no was rude. Still, Sakura flushed at her own words.

"Alright then."

A bird fluttered past the window. One nurse, then another, strolled casually by and a doctor or two. People laughed down the hall and the sun hid behind a cloud. Sakura stood looking down at Gaara and he lay drowning in her eyes.

"Sakura." He whispered, voice smooth, running like a fountain of honey. "There is… there is.." Words failed. They always failed. Even now, they tasted strange on his tongue, like unripe berries. Inside, he slashed at himself. This new Gaara kept surprising him and he didn't like it. He was unpredictable, unstable.

"Gaara, what are you doing? Lay back down. You're in no condition to get up right now!" Sakura protested as Gaara struggled into a sitting position. "Please, please lay back down. You'll hurt yourself." She leaned over to reposition him.

"I'm fine." He snapped, annoyed, grabbing her arms and slinging her onto the bed.

"Ah! Gaara!"

"Sssh! You'll attract one of those annoying nurses." More words. Talking wasn't so difficult anymore. "Just be quiet. You're not going anywhere."

Sakura wanted to scream. He must have overheard her confession in his sleep and was going to take advantage of her weakness. After all that training! Emotion was continuing to whip her down.

Soft words, hot breath against her ears, Sakura couldn't breathe. He gripped her arms and whispered, "Girls are immature, yes, but you're not a girl. You're a woman. And I want you… I desire you… I love you."

"Uh?" She leaned back to look into the marble eyes that used to look so menacing to her. They pleaded now. Love. "You weren't sleeping."

"No."

"Then you heard everything I said."

"Yes."

"How did you get hurt in the forest?" Sakura asked. Instead of fleeing his bed, she slung her legs over the side in his lap and watched him. Gaara certainly was different. He was grown.

"I fought the demon and destroyed it." Gaara folded his arms matter-of-factly. She waited, but he said no more, just closed his eyes and pretended to meditate.

"Wait, so it's gone?"

"Yes, it's destroyed. I am free to live how I want to now. I am my own."

"Wow. I can't believe you beat it. What power." Admiration sparked in her excited voice, "What will you do now?"

"People are still looking for me. No doubt I will continue with my team as before-"

"But no killing?"

"That is gone forever."

"Wonderful." She fell quiet. He was beginning to be that old, hard Gaara she'd seen before. Locked up inside himself, afraid to express emotion. But he loved her. He loved her!

"Sakura."

"Hmm?"

"You have your own team." Gaara paused to consider, "And it is factual that we won't see much of each other, so I'd like to leave you a promise and a pledge."

"What kind of promise and pledge?" Numb, Sakura realized his fingers were brushing up the sides of her arms.

"Words come hard for me; action is the best, so…" He found her neck petal-soft and inviting, but went for her mouth. Sweet to his tongue. Gaara begged for more of her to taste. Chills swept down his spine. She felt small in his arms as they kissed on the bed in the hospital room. And she hadn't resisted. This was just a sliver of the life he'd been missing. Now, he was truly alive.

Sakura squirmed a little. This was her first kiss, so she hadn't been expecting one so long or deep. Definitely not a French kiss. But it was alright. No, it was miraculous. As a child, she'd thought of kissing as something revolting. As a woman-she was a woman-Sakura understood the sealing power of a kiss. It was a promise, a seal, a covenant. Words that spoke through the action.

No one else would fit her now that she'd experienced passion with Gaara. She wouldn't find his smell or taste anywhere else. This was what she'd been longing for all her life.

"Sakura." Gaara gasped as she broke the kiss.

"Hmm?" She snuggled close and he felt her arms clutching his chest.

"You are mine now forever."

He rolled her over on the bed and grabbed her against his body, pulling the sheets over them both.

"Gaara, close your eyes and go to sleep." Sakura ordered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"You better be." And he smirked, just a tint, that she blushed at.


End file.
